


After all this time

by blossominthesnow



Category: Holby City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 05:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16011008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blossominthesnow/pseuds/blossominthesnow
Summary: A quick fluffy story about Roxanna and Henrik's 25th wedding anniversary party





	After all this time

Thirty years together and twenty-five of those married. Henrik look around the room that was rapidly filling with friends and colleagues. He had wanted the two of them to go away together somewhere quiet but Roxanna had wanted to share their joy with those around them. They had worked together on the list of people to invite, and although he would never admit it to her, he had actually enjoyed planning it together. 

She was currently weaving in and out of people, greeting each new friend that entered the room. He thought back to their first meeting. ‘I’m Henrik Hanssen…from Sweden.’ He had added the last bit because he had wanted to sound more interesting. She had glowed with confidence when he met her and his admiration only grew with time. Her mind was so sharp but she also deeply cared about people. Throughout their time together, she had supported him in his darker moments and he had always been there for her when she needed him. 

Roxanna was feeling slightly stressed. She hadn’t expected so many people to turn up. Clearly, they had had a deeper impact on those around them than either of them had realized. Henrik had wanted to get away somewhere quiet but she had been the one to insist on the gathering. It was lovely to see them all but she knew that he would be feeling on edge. Other people would probably not notice, he could put up an impenetrable wall when he needed too, giving him an air of cool calmness, but she could see it. There was something in his eyes that betrayed his true feelings. Once she had greeted everyone, she would check on him but for now, she needed to calm herself and enjoy the moment. 

Henrik glanced around the room at the sea of friendly faces. Milling around the food was an old friend from home, Maja. She was holding a plate for Elliot Hope who seemed to have spilt something down his shirt. He caught her eye and she smiled at him. It was good of her to come given that her husband had recently died. She had travelled over with her daughter Ebba who was chatting to a very enthusiastic Sacha Levey. Maja had been a good friend when he had moved back to Sweden after America. For a brief period, his future with Roxanna had been shaky. Another friend, John, had tried to drive a wedge between them; he had introduced Roxanna to a fellow student called David. It had been Maja that had persuaded him to return to America and tell Roxanna his true feelings. He shuddered at how close he had come to letting the love of his life slip through his fingers.

David and John had both passed on their invitations to the party. David had become a close friend and held no ill feeling about Roxanna choosing Henrik over him. Just six months after they had all left America he had met and fallen in love with a fellow cardiothoracic surgeon. Two children and thirty years later and they were still together. Sadly, David had been diagnosed with dementia and it made busy social events a stressful situation for him. However Roxanna had been working tirelessly on a project with two fellow neurosurgeons to try and improve his quality of life. Henrik loved that she cared so deeply for her friends. 

John had outright rejected the invitation and neither of them had been particularly upset. When they had first met him he had been intriguing, someone both he and Roxanna had been drawn to. But his determination to succeed had changed to obsession and he had drifted away from the group. When Roxanna and Henrik had moved to Holby they had debated brining the old team together. The four of them would have made a formidable force but Roxanna had decided that it wasn’t the right setting for John or the right time for David and she was right. Whatever John was currently working on was clearly very important but he had been unwilling to share any information about it. And he had been the same for the past thirty years, in fact ever since Henrik and Roxanna had been a couple he had almost shunned them. 

There was a smashing of glass from one side of the room. Oliver Valentine had managed to drop his drink after Benjamin Chiltern had knocked into him. Jac Naylor was stood rolling her eyes at the situation with Zosia March and Dominic Copeland nearby trying to stifle a giggle. It was nice to see Oliver and Zosia briefly returned from America. They had both flourished in the new environment, Zosia had been working non-stop on her research and Oliver’s bio patch project was gaining traction. Henrik wondered what the future held for two such bright young doctors. Like Roxanna and himself they had also had their shaky patch but they had managed to work through it.

When she heard the glass smash, Roxanna immediately looked over to Henrik. He looked slightly perturbed but she knew that it hadn’t bothered him that much. The distraction allowed her to weave her way to him and pull him into the hall. ‘I just wanted to say thank you for this. I know you would have been perfectly happy for us to disappear somewhere quiet but having everyone here just feels right.’ She kissed him gently on the cheek before pulling him back into the room. ‘It’s speech time!’

Henrik stood at the head of the room ready to address the guests. There were friends and colleagues from throughout the years looking towards him and he felt a warm glow encompass him. Sahira Shah, a former student waved to him, he saw Serena Campbell resting her head on Berenice Wolfe’s shoulder, Elliot Hope had managed to clean his shirt and was bent down talking to Emma Naylor. Dominic Copeland was giggling away with Zosia whilst Benjamin stood awkwardly next to him. Clearly, the glass incident was still bothering him but a quick hand squeeze from Dominic seemed to calm him. It would be there turn to get married next and Henrik wished nothing but happiness for them. Dominic deserved it after the past couple of years. Ebba was still engaged in conversation with Sacha but they both looked up when Henrik cleared his throat. 

He was a man of few words but he had been preparing his speech for a while. He looked over to Roxanna and thought of the journey that had been on together, the fact that he had nearly lost her all that time ago, the longing he had whenever they were apart and the sense of calm and happiness she instilled in him. It hadn’t always been easy but they had made it this far. After thirty years she still amazed and inspired him. She smiled back and he began. ‘They say the course of true love never runs smooth. But when two souls fine their mate, not time, nor circumstance, nor geography can stand in their way. For something that is meant to be will always find a way in the end.’


End file.
